


you feel like summer time

by b0tticelli



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Flashbacks, Friends to Lovers, Good Ol' Fashioned House Party al la Jackson, M/M, Mingyu is a Lifeguard, Non-Linear Narrative, Pining, Some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-10-27 05:57:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20755460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/b0tticelli/pseuds/b0tticelli
Summary: The light from the slowly sinking sun creates a soft glow around Wonwoo’s head, revealing the warm brown tones in his hair that usually go unnoticed.The smile drops from Mingyu’s face without him realizing it, completely lost in the ethereal aura of his best friend. It’s only when Wonwoo’s face falls in concern that Mingyu realizes he must be acting weird.“Mingyu?” Wonwoo asks carefully, eyebrows knitting together. The pulse in Mingyu’s veins only quickens, because no matter what face Wonwoo pulls, it carefully tugs at each of Mingyu’s heartstrings.Or—it's summer time and maybe Mingyu is a little bit in love.





	you feel like summer time

**Author's Note:**

> Rated warnings: drinking, mild panic attack, some heavy kissing, the occasional swear.

_ August. _

To: ☼Wonu-hyung☼

— i’m outside hyung ^^

From: ☼Wonu-hyung☼

— Be there in a second. 

The seconds (plural) turn into minutes (also plural), but Mingyu doesn’t mind. There's still plenty of time before the start of their shifts, and he knows Wonwoo has good reason to keep him waiting. That reason pounces on the passenger door of Mingyu’s powder blue sedan, startling him out of an intense game of solitaire. He pretends like he didn't yelp in surprise and sets down his phone. Mingyu grins at the golden retriever panting at him through the window and quickly undoes his seatbelt. 

“Yachi!” he coos once safely on the sidewalk, immediately kneeling and opening his arms in time for the dog to happily invade his personal space. Mingyu puts his arms around her, letting his fingers intertwine in her soft, golden fur, enjoying the warmth of the noonday sun that is absorbed by her coat. Yachi happily bathes Mingyu’s face in kisses and he responds by giving her _ the _pet of a lifetime. 

“I swear she loves you more than she loves me,” Wonwoo says. His tone is light, and Mingyu knows they’re just words, but he takes the praise and runs with it, grinning while he continues to make heart eyes at Yachi. 

“I know,” he responds cheekily, “no living being is immune to my charms.” 

Mingyu stands, a loyal hand still scratching behind Yachi’s ear when he finally turns to Wonwoo, a _ hello _ready to fall out of his mouth. 

_ Well, _ he thinks a little weakly, _ maybe there's a few who are. _

Looking at Wonwoo is a lot like watching the sun as it sets on water. Mingyu’s breath is taken away every time. But for Mingyu, it's not about the sun at center stage or the colors that bleed into the sky. It's the subdued picture the water mimics, creating its own interpretation of the light that captures his attention. In many ways Wonwoo was like the water—a calming presence, but a fierce presence, and a part of Mingyu's life that can always count on his attention. 

Today, Wonwoo was already dressed in his work uniform, their company’s logo encrusted on the bright red polo and khaki shorts to match. On anyone else, Mingyu is relentless with his teasing, especially Minghao, who drowns in his medium size shirt because they ran out of smalls. But, Mingyu thinks Wonwoo looks handsome no matter what he wears. 

They stare at each other, the corners of Wonwoo’s lips demurely lifting upwards. His smile seeps into Mingyu’s bones and finds its way into his heart. 

“Mingyu,” Wonwoo says as a greeting. Suddenly feeling shy, Mingyu looks down at Yachi again. It’s much easier to smile at her. 

“Hey, hyung,” he replies, while the dog pants contently underneath Mingyu’s touch. 

“Let me put Yachi up, then we can head out.” Wonwoo gives her leash a gentle tug. 

Mingyu nods, regrettably letting go of Yachi so that she’ll easily follow him into the house. 

“I’ll be in the car,” Mingyu answers before moving back to the drivers side. The moment he shuts the door he feels a pair of judgemental eyes burning a hole in the back of his head, so he turns around in his seat. “What?”

Minghao’s blank stare is anything but impressed, but Mingyu can hardly take him seriously what with him sitting in his too large polo and company visor on his head. 

“Nothing,” Minghao finally says, looking back at his phone, “Nothing at all, Ming’. Just you two being obvious again.” 

Mingyu squints his eyes, wanting to press him for an explanation, but then the front passenger door opens and Wonwoo slides into his seat. All thoughts of interrogating Minghao are expelled from his mind. 

“Thanks, as always, for waiting,” Wonwoo says with a smile before glancing back at Minghao. “I didn’t think you were working today.” 

“Jieqiong asked me to cover her shift. She owes me a favor this way,” Minghao replies, not looking up from his phone. Mingyu thinks he’s being obvious in his own way and he and Wonwoo exchange looks and try not to laugh. 

With traffic, it takes them about 25 minutes to the pool center, but Mingyu doesn’t care since he’s in good company. Minghao puts in his headphones to catch up on one of his shows and Wonwoo speaks quietly to Mingyu about taking Yachi to the dog park that morning. 

Usually, Mingyu’s the one filling the quiet with conversation. Not because he likes the sound of his own voice or telling stories, but because he favored silence about as much as he liked walking around in wet socks. It was uncomfortable and bothered him the longer he was forced to sit through it. 

So he talks, to fill in the gaps—but every now and then Wonwoo does too. For the most part, he was content to sit and listen to Mingyu’s own endless rants, but sometimes he has his own rabbit holes of conversations or stories. It doesn’t happen often, but when he does divulge, Mingyu helplessly hangs onto every word—even when Wonwoo’s story is about him and Bohyuk having to wash Yachi’s paws off that morning because, in his words, she accidentally ran through some other dog’s shit thanks to some asshole owner that couldn’t be bothered to pick up after them. 

They had only known each other for a few months, but Mingyu was like a river, his heart a force of nature that could only push him toward the sea. Wonwoo was the sea; that meant everything to Mingyu. 

❀—❀—❀

_ June. _

It was a blooming summer day when they officially met. Spring was still excreting irritating pollen into the air, leaving Mingyu’s head and throat undesirably stuffed and his voice deeper with congestion. 

Mingyu was two weeks fresh from lifeguard training and on his way to a staff meeting meant for all employees. It begins at 8:00am sharp, meant to prepare for opening day the following Monday. He arrives with Minghao with about ten minutes to spare. 

Minghao was one of the concession and ticketing workers, and of course, was the one who helped Mingyu get the lifeguard position in the first place. Since they were housemates, they were able to carpool (in Mingyu’s car) and Minghao promised he’d always be there for Mingyu if he ever had any problems on the job. Mingyu, of course, was very aware Minghao most likely just wanted a semi permanent ride to work, but the sentiment was there. 

And of course, they’re not there for a minute before Minghao disappears somewhere to go find one of his other friends that he dragged into working here. Meanwhile, Mingyu goes searching for the lifeguards he befriended during training. He doesn’t have to search that hard—Seokmin’s voice carries, and he hears him by the shaded tables around the snack bar before he sees him. 

He’s sitting at one of the round tables, talking with Jeonghan, one of the senior lifeguards. Jeonghan’s laying on the table, nibbling on a pastry that was most likely given to him by the high schoolers that worked at the bakery across the street (a fairly common occurrence for someone like him). 

Mingyu quickly sits with them, still much too intimidated to talk with the other senior lifeguards—Wonho and Jackson, the ones who actually took an active role in the training class for the newbies—or the girls that all sat at their own table talking amongst themselves. 

“Mingyu!” Seokmin says happily, clapping a hand against Mingyu’s back as he sits next to him. Mingyu greets him and Jeonghan before falling into their conversation. They chat about random things while waiting for everyone to arrive, and between Seokmin and Mingyu both, their conversation gets loud pretty fast. The two get so absorbed in their chats, Jeonghan occasionally interjecting, that they don’t pay much attention to the manager coming out of the office until she slaps a firm hand on each of their shoulders. 

“I am very glad to know that my instincts are still perfect when I hired the both of you,” Irene says, hitting their shoulders again, “You both speak so loudly, I could hear your conversation in the office!” 

Mingyu feels his ears burn, turns to look at her, and stammers an apology even though he’s not even sure that she’s looking for one. She simply smiles at him before grabbing her clipboard from one of the staff members he doesn’t recognize, and moves to the front. She starts speaking and that same person takes a seat at the same table as Mingyu. When Mingyu looks at him, he feels his face heating up when he sees the staff member giving a sheepish smile. 

“I’m Mingyu,” Mingyu blurt-whispers, “I mean—I can’t help that I’m loud. My grandmother lives with my parents and she’s very hard of hearing. It’s just a habit to be loud.” He doesn’t know why he suddenly told him this, all the poor guy did was smile at him—it wasn’t even the one with blinding teeth that captures the entire room. It was closed mouth, small and personal like it was made just for Mingyu to gingerly take and hide in his pocket. It makes Mingyu want to know him, learn his name, become friends, ask for a hand in marriage. Maybe. Semantics, really. 

“I know,” he responds with an amused tone, but that only confuses Mingyu. Surely Mingyu would have remembered a face like his. 

“How?” he asks as the man looks away. Mingyu takes the moment to shamelessly admire the slope of his nose, “I mean, I don’t remember you, I’m sorry.”

The staff member stares at him for a moment, then shakes his head, “It’s fine, I would be surprised if you did. I only saw you in passing, really. It was the night you and the other lifeguards went out for dinner and drinks.” 

Somehow, Mingyu’s face turns even redder, reaching all the way to the tips of his ears and down the back of his neck. That would have been Wednesday night, after Mingyu, Seokmin, Doyeon, and Joy had officially completed training. The other lifeguards had taken them out to celebrate. That night Mingyu realized just about everyone could drink him under the table, and frankly, for the most part it was was a giant ink stain in his memories. 

“Oh, uh. Yeah. I don’t remember too much about that night,” he confesses lamely, scratching the back of his head. 

The guy is smiling again, soft and still tight-lipped, but it makes Mingyu feel light. 

“That’s okay, I’m not surprised,” he says, “I was only there briefly. Stopped by to pick up my house key from Jeonghan. He was taking care of my dog and home while my family and I were on vacation.”

Mingyu glances at Jeonghan at the mention of his name. He was now sitting on top of the table with the other senior lifeguards, feet planted on the bench that Jackson was sitting on. Mingyu feels something possibly a little like jealousy, but he chooses to ignore it for now. There were more important things to attend to, like how this guy learned Mingyu’s name and possibly what kind of dog he owns.

“That’s nice of him,” Mingyu replies, “I still don’t remember you being there, though.” 

“I was wearing a mask and a baseball cap,” he answers with a laugh, “I wasn’t exactly standing out.” 

_ Ah, _Mingyu realizes. 

“Oh no, you’re the guy I thought was coming to deliver us food.” 

Mingyu mistook him for a good delivery person and demanded he bring the food to _ Me, Kim Mingyu! _Unfortunately that was about the last of what Mingyu remembered that night. After realizing his mistake, he downed the rest of Seokmin’s soju-beer concoction, and then the next thing he remembered was waking up in bed nauseous and with the world’s worst headache. 

The man snickers quietly, nose scrunching up a little, “Yeah, even though you were quite literally sat in a restaurant with food sitting in front of you.” 

Mingyu blushes again. 

“Hey, in my defense you were carrying plastic bags!” Mingyu says with a pout. 

“I guess I could see where you’d get confused,” he muses, then glances at Mingyu again, “it was take-out after all, only it was for my family and you were drunk like it was your first time doing so.” 

He wasn’t completely off. It was Mingyu’s fourth time, in fact. Not that Mingyu would ever admit that out loud. Two times ended up just like time number four, so usually, he makes an effort to not drink when he can help it. 

“Well it’s nice to officially meet you. I’m Mingyu,” he says, then instantly regrets it, “I mean, um. What’s your name?” 

This time his smile is all teeth, like he was lighting up the world around them, or perhaps maybe just Mingyu’s own personal world. 

“Jeon Wonwoo.”

❀—❀—❀

_ August. _

After arriving to work with Minghao and Wonwoo, Mingyu’s shift begins like any other. The sun is already high in the sky and complementing the western pop music playing through the pool speakers. He begins his rotation at the large slide, monitoring the times at which people go down, and ends at the lap pool right before his lunch break. Wonwoo spends the first part of his shift working concessions, so when they meet up, he has a plate full of finger food to split with Mingyu to go along with their packed lunches. 

“I love you for this,” Mingyu tells him because that’s how he’s able to confess without the fear of rejection. Wonwoo only responds with an eye roll that’s negated with a smile, and then lets Mingyu talk about an incident at the lap pool with a grandfather that got an ass cramp.

Their break ends all too quickly, as it always does with Wonwoo, and Mingyu goes back on rotation. The second half of his shift is far less eventful. At this time of year, grade school kids had all gone back to school, so the local university students and stay-at-home parents and their toddlers were their primary guests. As they approached closing time, only a few pockets full of people remained in various places. After closing down the water slide, Mingyu was done with his watch for the remainder of the shift. For the last fifteen minutes until closing, he hid inside the rental booth that Wonwoo was working.

Now, Mingyu wasn’t afraid of many things, but their manager _ was _ one of those things. And getting caught doing nothing at the end of the day by Irene was the absolute worst. Though they have custodial workers that clean up the inside areas in the evenings, she was a strong believer in _ precleaning _. Which meant that she would always seek out two unfortunate souls to clean the bathrooms. After getting stuck with that duty for almost an entire week, Mingyu had since learned to hide if he was working a closing shift. 

It was always best when Wonwoo was working in the rental booth because it was far away enough from the main office that Irene never bothered to look for anyone there. And so that’s how Mingyu ended up cross-legged in the stall, chewing on gummy candies that Wonwoo had supplied him with. He watches Wonwoo work diligently—it was something Mingyu always enjoyed since he wasn’t a naturally bubbly person. Seeing Wonwoo’s customer service persona fascinated Mingyu. By now, Mingyu was familiar enough with Wonwoo’s facial expressions to know when his smiles were genuine or forced. Occasionally, those real smiles were seen by the guests too. Currently, for example, Wonwoo seemed to be in a surprisingly good mood and his happy face had Mingyu completely mesmerized. 

Wonwoo steps back into the booth after putting a donut floaty back in place and waving goodbye to a mother and child before turning to Mingyu. 

“Why are you smiling like an idiot?” he asks after making sure no one else was coming. Mingyu’s ears start burning and he speaks around a mouthful of gummies 

“Why is my smile idiotic? I’m pretty smart!” 

Wonwoo laughs at him and Mingyu frowns once he swallows the candies. 

“It’s just weird,” Wonwoo supplies, “I feel like you’re planning to prank me or something.” 

“I’m not Jackson, I wouldn’t do that to you,” Mingyu says while shaking his head, being completely truthful. 

All the lifeguards had a vicious pranking game going on and no staff, save for Irene and Shownu, were safe. Jackson was the best (or worst, if you were the recipient) at it. Mingyu was an active participant, and Wonwoo was always off limits, but that unfortunately did not apply to everyone else. 

He stares fixedly at a spot on Wonwoo’s calf, a particularly bare spot from where Jackson had shaved it when he mistakenly took a nap during his lunch break earlier in the week. Mingyu hadn’t been working that day, otherwise he would have gotten revenge on Wonwoo’s behalf. Wonwoo seems to feel his stare and pokes the top of Mingyu’s head with a pen to avert his attention. Mingyu blinks up at him and they end up staring at each other far longer than necessary before Wonwoo smiles and drags his pen lightly down Mingyu’s forehead and to the tip of his nose.

“I know you wouldn’t,” Wonwoo eventually says, “You just look like you want to tell me something, maybe.” 

Mingyu quickly looks away, suddenly feeling flustered. 

“Oh. I mean—It’s just,” Mingyu starts, then has to stop and take a breath. Only Wonwoo could make Mingyu forget how to form proper sentences, “I like how you interact with customers.” 

Wonwoo laughs in a way that Mingyu knows that’s not an answer that he was expecting. He doesn’t know, however, if it was a good or bad thing. 

“Really?” he replies, the surprise apparent in his voice, “Most of the time it’s just an act. Just me going through the motions of work.”

“It’s just a different side of you,” Mingyu answers with a shrug, “And besides, the majority of the time that I'm here with you, you seem to be in a good mood and genuinely enjoy speaking to customers.” 

Wonwoo doesn’t reply, and when Mingyu looks at him again, maybe it’s just from the exertion of stepping in and out of the stall continuously, but there’s a blush to his cheeks that Mingyu hadn’t noticed until now. Before he can say anything though, a pair of hands slap loudly against the countertops at the stall window. 

“Wonwoo-yah!” Irene says, the sound of her voice making Mingyu shrink further into one of the corners, hoping somehow her attention doesn’t divert downard. 

Wonwoo smiles—and when he speaks, Mingyu is sure it’s a fake one that shows just a little too much teeth, “Ah, yes?” 

“Do you want to leave early?” she asks him. Wonwoo doesn’t answer right away, probably trying to figure out if it’s a trick question or not.

“I—er—I mean—” 

“Tell you what,” she says, saving him from stumbling over his words any longer. “Go grab a net and clean out the tree blossoms that blew into the smaller pool. Once you complete that, you can go early.” 

“Oh! Yes, ma’am!” Wonwoo answers enthusiastically, “I’ll get right on it.” 

“Great,” Irene replies with a smile and turns around. Before she leaves, though, she looks back at Wonwoo and hums, “And take Mingyu with you before I send him to the men’s bathroom. The faster you guys complete it, the faster you can go.” 

At the mention of his name Mingyu immediately stands up and stupidly salutes her, “We won’t let you down!” She offers Mingyu a scathing look before finally walking away. Once she’s out of hearing distance, Mingyu’s shoulders sag and he lets out a long exhale. 

“She will never cease to scare me.” Mingyu says with a sheepish smile when Wonwoo turns around to look at him. 

Wonwoo responds by laughing, eyes shutting into crescent moons and nose wrinkling in a way that sets the butterflies in Mingyu’s stomach aflight. The light from the slowly sinking sun creates a soft glow around Wonwoo’s head, revealing the warm brown tones in his hair that usually go unnoticed. 

The smile drops from Mingyu’s face without him realizing it, completely lost in the ethereal aura of his best friend. It’s only when Wonwoo’s face falls in concern that Mingyu realizes he must be acting weird. 

“Mingyu?” Wonwoo asks carefully, eyebrows knitting together. The pulse in Mingyu’s veins only quickens, because no matter what face Wonwoo pulls, it carefully tugs at each of Mingyu’s heartstrings. In that moment, Mingyu thinks that he has to tell him, that he would burst if he held in his feelings in any longer. 

“Wonwoo—” Mingyu starts, then stops, suddenly realizing just how small the rental booth was. Still, he steps closer, but a little too quickly than he envisions in his head and Wonwoo can only take half a step back before his back digs into the booth countertop. His hand slams against the little bit of wooden wall that hides to the right of the open window. It’s harder than he intended it to be and Wonwoo starts at the sound it creates from impact. 

“Mingyu?” Wonwoo repeats, the blush dusting his cheeks much more apparent now and Mingyu swears he can hear his heart beating in sync with his own. 

Mingyu opens his mouth, ready to speak, when he glances just past Wonwoo and sees two of the senior lifeguards, Jackson and Hyojin, staring in their direction and appearing to be talking closely together. He accidentally makes eye contact with Hyojin, who responds with a smirk and slow wave of her fingers. Like being splashed with cold water, Mingyu instantly feels yanked out of their own personal bubble and forces out a laugh. 

“Sorry, there was a bug,” Mingyu says, then quickly wipes his empty hand against his swim trunks like he was trying to wipe away the nonexistent insect, “so I had to kill it, obviously.” 

“Obviously…” Wonwoo replies, simply blinking at him before looking away, a strange look appearing on his face before mumbling, “We should probably go and fish out those blossoms.” 

“Oh, yeah!” Mingyu says with a little too much enthusiasm and steps aside so Wonwoo can leave first. He follows him out and they walk quietly to grab the extended nets. It’s awkward for a little bit, Mingyu unsure of what to say, and Wonwoo content staying in his own head for the time being. 

It’s only once they each have a net in their hand and begin their task that the tension works its way out of the air. They begin to talk about the party that Jackson was throwing that night, and had been reminding everyone about for weeks. Mingyu casually invites himself over to Wonwoo’s home to chill beforehand once he has the chance to shower and change at his own home. Of course, Wonwoo has no qualms with this, telling him it’s fine as long as he comes with him to walk Yachi one more time before they leave. 

With their conversation flowing with ease again, Mingyu finally finds the courage to look Wonwoo’s way. His eyebrows knit together when notices Wonwoo sitting on his knees, the fishing net extended over the water but still in his hands. 

He’s staring at the water with strange look on his face and Mingyu can’t help but approach him. 

“Hyung?” he says standing over Wonwoo, watching him curiously, “What are you doing?” 

“If I do it like this,” he replies, pausing for a second to get a single petal in his net, “Then there’s less chance that I’ll fall into the water.” 

“But why would you fall into the water? It’s not like you’re clumsy or anything.” And then, “Wonwoo-hyung, come on. This is our chance to leave early. Is this just because you don’t know how to do it? I can show you how to properly do it. C’mon up, up!” 

He sets his own fishing net down and grabs Wonwoo’s arm to pull him up. Wonwoo vocally protests slightly with a grunt, but stands anyway, his grip tightening around the pole. 

“If you push me in, I’ll kill you,” Wonwoo mumbles begrudgingly. Mingyu only laughs at his statement and moves to stand behind him. 

“I wouldn’t do that and besides this pool is like, barely 1.5 meters deep,” Mingyu says with a grin, “You just don’t want to get chlorine in your hair because of how curly it gets when it’s wet.” 

He sees the way Wonwoo’s ears redden a little at his comment and grins wider. 

“Just trust me,” Mingyu murmurs near Wonwoo’s ear. Mingyu misses the goosebumps that raise on Wonwoo’s arms because he’s too busy moving his arms around him so he can grab the net. He grips near where Wonwoo is holding it, then pushes it further out, the pole sliding beneath their hands, “See, you should be holding it here. It’s far enough away that you can extend the net further out, but not too far that it’s hard to control.” 

Wonwoo continues to stay quiet, just watching as Mingyu gathers several petals into the net. Mingyu isn’t bothered by it, liking the way their hands look next to each other. Naturally, Mingyu is darker, but Wonwoo’s skin can’t help but be a little sunkissed from working at the pool. Once again, Mingyu finds himself getting lost with thoughts about Wonwoo, trying to imagine how their hands would look with their fingers intertwined. 

After a moment, he realizes he should be getting back to his own net and starts to pull away when Jeonghan walks by. 

“You two want to stop reenacting _ Titanic _and actually get to work?” he comments slyly, teasingly, “I swear you two’s flirting techniques are so weird.”

Mingyu chooses to completely ignore the latter statement and instead of pulling away from Wonwoo, his hands find their way to his hips. 

“Hyung, clearly that was not reenacting _ Titanic! _ Now _ this _ is reenacting _ Titanic!” _Mingyu says and says quietly to Wonwoo, “Sorry that you have to be Rose, but we’re already standing like this and I’m taller.” 

Mingyu can feel the bristle of annoyance that appears on Wonwoo’s face even though he can’t see it, but he knows it’s fleeting because in the next second, he can see the corners of his mouth raising with his arms to complete the pose.

“I’m not that much shorter, you know,” Wonwoo grumbles. It’s not a lie, he really isn’t shorter by much. He’s even considered tall compared to most people, but Mingyu isn’t most people and the height difference is noticeable to him. Mingyu laughs just as Jeonghan mumbles something about hating love, that neither of them hear, while he walks away. 

The smallest breeze hits them. The visors from their respective uniforms keeps their hair mostly in place, but the wind is warm, like a kiss to their cheeks from the ocean. With the direction they’re standing in, they can even make out the coastline of the beach. All they needed was the sway of the waves and Mingyu could almost imagine they were actually at the front of a ship. 

Suddenly, Mingyu becomes very aware that both of them had fallen quiet, their laughter carried away with the evening breeze. Mingyu should be pulling away, but Wonwoo hasn’t nudged him away with his elbow, either. Besides, he likes the way Wonwoo’s waist feels underneath his fingers, and they way his back feels pressed against Mingyu’s chest. 

It feels like home, the warmth of Wonwoo’s skin. He can’t help but wonder what the curve of Wonwoo’s waist feels like underneath the polo fabric of his uniform. Mingyu blushes at the thought, his own skin prickling and pulse quickening. 

In the slightest nudge of panic, he wonders if Wonwoo can feel Mingyu’s heart about to burst out of his chest. 

Wonwoo calls Mingyu’s name. It’s softer, more meaningful than any of the other times he’s used it today—almost like he’s sharing a very personal secret with Mingyu. The way he says it makes Mingyu want to confess his feelings all over gain. 

Instead, he moves his hands upwards to Wonwoo’s chest and pinches both of his nipples. The reaction is both instantaneous and disastrous. A jump, a shout, and suddenly they’re both falling into the water of the swimming pool. 

The water isn’t ice cold, but it’s not comfortable either. Mingyu hadn’t been in the pool since the first half of his shift, so it was a surprise nonetheless. The water is shallow enough that once he gathers his barings, he stands easily, head and chest well above the water. 

He can’t help but laugh at their situation and only laughs harder at Wonwoo when he sees that he’s still splashing around, arms flailing when he can clearly stand up. With a grin, he grabs Wonwoo’s arms to pull him up and steady him. 

“Hyung, I told you it’s not that deep! You can stand, see?” 

“Get me out of here, Mingyu!” 

The infliction in Wonwoo’s voice drains the laughter from Mingyu’s face. The tone isn’t something he’s used with Mingyu before. It’s angry and it makes Mingyu feel very small.

“Wonwoo—” he starts, trying to keep his grip around his arms to steady him, but Wonwoo pulls away, turning to the edge of the pool and trying to climb out. “Wonwoo, there are stairs on the other end.” 

Wonwoo doesn’t listen, grunting a little as he struggles to get out. At that moment, Mingyu realizes that he’s genuinely _ scared _and without any further thought, he grabs Wonwoo’s hips and helps lift him completely out of the water. Once he’s out, Mingyu lifts himself out with ease and kneels next to Wonwoo, whose hands are braced against the concrete. 

“Hyung…” Mingyu says. He’s breathing fast, head hanging low and Mingyu doesn’t know what to do. Carefully, he puts a hand on Wonwoo’s back, hoping it would anchor him and help calm him down. 

Unfortunately, it does the opposite and Wonwoo shrinks away from him, struggling a little before getting to his feet. 

“Don’t touch me.” 

“Wonwoo, I’m sorry—”

“You said you wouldn’t push me in!” Wonwoo says, voice shaking and louder than usual. In Mingyu’s peripheral, he can see Jackson and two other lifeguards pausing to look at them. 

“No—I didn’t push you! I didn’t mean for us to fall in,” Mingyu replies earnestly, getting to his feet and approaching Wonwoo. 

Wonwoo backs away from him and Mingyu can feel his own heart breaking. 

“Just leave me alone, Mingyu,” he snaps, arms wrapping around himself. His teeth start to chatter from being wet and Mingyu wants to do nothing more than wrap a large blanket around him. He reaches for Wonwoo’s wrist and tries to pull him toward the employee lockers so he can get them a towel instead. 

“C’mon hyung, let’s get dried off—” 

Wonwoo jerks his hand away and gives Mingyu a glare that he’s only seen a handful at times, but never directed at him. 

“Fuck off, Mingyu! Just leave me alone, alright!?” 

They stare at each other for a moment, Mingyu at a loss for words before Wonwoo turns around and stalks off to the locker room alone. All Mingyu can do is just watch him go. 

After a while, his senses seem to come back to him, the ambience of his surroundings breaking open his tunnel vision of Jeon Wonwoo. A hand slaps his shoulder that causes him to jump. He looks to his left and sees Jackson standing next to him. 

“Shit, I never realized how bad his fear of water is,” he comments, giving Mingyu a sympathetic look.

Mingyu pauses, realization washing over him and making him feel like he fell into the pool again. 

“Yeah,” is all he manages to say. 

Jackson pats his shoulder, gentle this time. 

“He’ll be alright. You’re still coming to my party tonight, right?” 

“Yeah,” he answers again, though he’s not paying the slightest attention to what Jackson is saying. Jackson says something else that Mingyu doesn’t hear, and after a few more shoulder pats he’s left alone again. 

Eventually, he turns back to the pool and realizes that both his and Wonwoo’s visors had fallen off their heads when they fell in, and sunk to the bottom. Without much thought, Mingyu gets back in the water to grab them, then gets out and quietly finishes the task Irene had given them. 

Wonwoo had only mentioned it once, but Mingyu should have remembered that he was afraid of the water. And now Mingyu was left alone and feeling like the worst friend in the world. 

❀—❀—❀

_ June. _

It had been a long first work week for Mingyu, but he finally reached the end of it. The pool was far busier than Mingyu could ever have imagined. It wasn’t bad, necessarily, because there was always something to do, somebody to watch, his coworkers were all friendly enough, and Irene and Shownu were pretty fair with scheduling, making sure everyone got at least one weekend off a month. 

The best part was that the pool was close enough to the beach that whenever he finished the morning shift, he had time to go to the beach before it got dark. Why so many people would rather go to a public pool when it was near walking distance was crazy to him, but he figured locals thought beaches were too packed with tourists this time of year. Regardless, Mingyu found that he would enjoy his time working the pool and evenings at the beach whenever he got the chance. 

His hair was a frizzy kind of dry when he walks into his neighborhood convenience store. Minghao was out with his foreigner group tonight, so Mingyu didn’t see any reason to cook. He grabs his favorite brand of instant ramen and goes into the check-out line to purchase them. Standing in front of him was a person wearing a red polo that reminded him of the uniforms the non-lifeguard employees wear at the pool. The longer he stared at the man’s back, the more he began to recognize the familiar shape of sharp shoulders and slim waist. 

“Oh! Wonwoo-ssi?”

Wonwoo turns around, confusion on his face before he too recognizes Mingyu. 

“Mingyu, what are you doing here?” he asks, a small smile forming on his face. Mingyu returns it with a grin, holding up his ramen bowls. 

“Dinner,” he replies easily, “Do you live around here too? Nam-gu is a little far from our workplace.” 

Mingyu doesn’t understand why, but Wonwoo laughs to himself while nodding. 

“Yeah, I do. My family lives in a house near Kyungsung.” 

Mingyu’s eyes widen. 

“Do you attend Kyungsung University too?” 

Wonwoo nods again. After that discovery, Mingyu insists that they eat together, even buying Wonwoo’s matching bowl of ramen. He has Wonwoo pick out a table outside while Mingyu fills their bowls with steaming water before sitting down in front of him. They begin to talk, or rather Mingyu essentially plays 20 questions with Wonwoo, learning as much as he possibly can about him in the span of a couple of hours. 

Jeon Wonwoo, just one year his senior—an economics major, former high school volleyball player. He wasn’t the best player, but he was tall and thus favorable. To this day, he was still friends with his teammates even though the majority of them attended schools in other cities. He lives with his parents, younger brother, and 5 year old golden retriever named after an anime character of his favorite anime in high school. He’s lived in Busan his whole life, but hates seafood with a passion. 

“Next thing you’ll tell me is that you hate the ocean, too,” Mingyu says. Their ramen bowls are long gone, but Wonwoo is nursing a beer and Mingyu a nice fruit drink Wonwoo insisted on buying after he declined any alcohol. 

Wonwoo smiles around his beer can before setting it down. 

“No qualms with the ocean. However, I’m not too fond of water. You’ll never see me more than ankle deep in the sea, or anywhere near the pools at work.” 

Mingyu laughs, “Why in the world do you work at the pool, then?” 

“Jeonghan helped me get a job last summer and it pays well,” Wonwoo shrugs, “I’m fine working around it, but I have no plans to become a lifeguard any time soon. I can’t swim and I had a bad experience when I was younger.” 

Mingyu nods, waiting to see if Wonwoo was willing to elaborate. He doesn’t—and then mostly because hearing Wonwoo mention Jeonghan makes his skin prickle, he decides to change the subject. 

“Hey, hyung. You should come to work with me.”

“Sorry?” Wonwoo says, clearly confused by Mingyu’s statement. 

“I mean like,” Mingyu replies, “I drive Minghao and me to work on days we both work, and since you live so close by, I could take you to work too!” 

“Oh. Mingyu, you don’t have to do that.” 

“You live only like, one street over from me, so why not? It’s fine. My car has A/C, it’s totally better than the subway, trust me.” 

Wonwoo smiles at Mingyu’s insistence, and only agrees after stating he’ll compensate him with gas money (that Mingyu will only end up refusing enough times that he eventually stops offering). And then, just to prove he’s a good driver, Mingyu drops Wonwoo off at his house, even though it’s just a couple blocks away. Wonwoo pokes fun at the color and type of car Mingyu drives, and even though there’s no malice behind, Mingyu blushes and explains it was originally his mom’s. Of course, that leads to more teasing about Mingyu being a spoiled child, but he doesn’t mind it when it comes from Wonwoo. 

When they finally part ways, Mingyu feels happier than he’s felt in a while. Part of him regrets not getting to know Wonwoo sooner. After that first day, they hadn’t really talked much. Mingyu mostly made conversation with the other lifeguards or Minghao simply because that’s who he was working with, and Minghao, was, well his roommate. And then of course, any time he and Wonwoo shared a lunch break that week—it was only twice—Wonwoo was either napping, or had his nose in a book and Mingyu was too intimidated to interrupt. 

Sure, it had only been a week, but after speaking with him for just a couple of hours, he felt like he had been friends with Wonwoo for years. It was all so easy between them, and just like he promised, Mingyu starts taking Wonwoo to work as well. Their schedules don’t always line up, but they make it work, Mingyu more than happy to show up on that side of the city a couple hours early for Wonwoo’s shift, or hanging around the beach until it ends. 

At first, Minghao pretends to be annoyed at the new person taking over the front passenger seat, but after seeing how Mingyu and Wonwoo act around each other, it becomes clear to him what’s going on. Neither of them can see it, but the mutual attraction is there. And while they skirted around each other like idiots, Minghao would sit quietly in the back seat and pay attention to the much more interesting drama on his phone screen.

❀—❀—❀

_ August. _

Mingyu can’t help but sulk through closing. After he finished cleaning out the pool, he found out Wonwoo ended up taking the subway home instead of waiting for Mingyu, which only made him feel worse. 

Minghao was going over to Sicheng’s place straight after work, so Mingyu made the drive back home alone. He’s quick to shower and change, and then after about thirty minutes of internal struggle, he decides to still stop by Wonwoo’s place. Even if Wonwoo still didn’t want to see him, he wanted to at least try and apologize. 

He arrives in no time at all and hopes that either Wonwoo’s mother or brother will answer the door, so that way he can build up his courage by petting Yachi for a few minutes before trudging up to Wonwoo’s room. 

The odds are not in his favor though, for after he knocks on the door, a few barks are heard from the other side, and then Wonwoo’s face greets him at the door. He’s recently showered—hair still in the process of drying with unbrushed curls, and out of his contacts—his wire framed glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. It makes Mingyu’s heart leap. 

“Mingyu?” There’s genuine surprise on Wonwoo’s face, and Mingyu isn’t sure if that should upset him or not. Either way, after that he can’t meet Wonwoo’s eyes and stares at the ground. The first thing Mingyu does is hold out Wonwoo’s visor that he had left behind. Once he takes it, Mingyu still remains silent as he struggles to find his words. But Wonwoo waits, Mingyu can feel his gaze pressing heavy against him. 

“I’m sorry,” is all he manages to say, feeling stupid that he can’t even make eye contact when apologizing. Wonwoo also doesn’t reply immediately, but his voice is gentle once he does. 

“Why don’t you come inside, Mingyu?” He replies instead of acknowledging the apology. Mingyu agrees and follows him in. He’s immediately greeted by Yachi’s enthusiastic tail wagging and whines, her unabashed happiness cheering Mingyu up immensely. Mingyu kneels so that he can greet her properly. 

“I just saw you this morning, but you’ve really missed me that much?” He tells her, enjoying her company and almost forgetting that Wonwoo was mad at him. 

He doesn’t see the way Wonwoo fondly smiles at them, and only hears the hesitation in his voice. 

“Listen, Mingyu—” 

Mingyu stops petting Yachi and stands, this time finding the courage to look at Wonwoo. 

“I’m sorry, Wonwoo. I should have remembered that you’re afraid of the water. I really didn’t mean to cause us to fall in. I’m so sorry that I scared you.” He says only with a slight rush. Wonwoo puts a hand on Mingyu’s shoulder, and it’s so unlike him to do that, that they both stare at his hand before he decides to pull it back. 

“You don’t need to apologize, Mingyu,” he says slowly, pulling at his fingers, a tick of his whenever he gets nervous about something, “It’s not like I talk about my fears all the time. I overreacted, really, and got embarrassed and took it out all on you when I shouldn’t have. If anything, I owe you an apology.” 

Mingyu hesitates for a moment, “But Won—” 

“Mingyu.” Wonwoo says his name in his own special way, so carefully as if it’s a piece of tissue paper that would fly away if he spoke too loud. Mingyu falls quiet and they stare at each other in silence before Wonwoo speaks again. “It’s okay. I promise.” 

The corners of his mouth lift in a smile, and it’s like a small needle that prods Mingyu’s heart and deflates the tension that had built up around it. Mingyu’s hand idly finds comfort in the top of Yachi’s head and smiles back. 

“So we’re okay?” Wonwoo nods and then Mingyu speaks again,“Good, because otherwise Jackson’s party would have sucked if I couldn’t talk to you.” 

Wonwoo rolls his eyes and motions for Mingyu to follow him upstairs. He and Yachi follow him up obediently. 

“Don’t act like you don’t have a billion other friends you’d talk to.” 

“I may have billion friends, but only one of you.”

Wonwoo stumbles a little on the last step and Mingyu has to hold back his laughter. 

“Mingyu?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Please shut up, now,” Wonwoo says while Mingyu and Yachi take over his bed. 

“Yes, hyung,” Mingyu answers with a grin, “But before I shut up, where is your family? I’m sad your mom isn’t here to make me eat before I’m allowed upstairs.” 

Wonwoo offers him another eye roll before reminding him it’s his parents’ biweekly date night and then that his brother was still at work. After that, they fall into a comfortable silence. Wonwoo puts on one of his ballad playlists. It’s never quite to Mingyu’s taste, who prefers songs with more upbeat tempos, but Wonwoo always keeps the playlist updated and Mingyu loves to hear whatever is currently capturing his ears. He idly messes around a little bit on his phone and pets Yachi while Wonwoo finishes getting ready. But mostly, he just watches Wonwoo out of the corner of his eye. 

And of course, once again Mingyu ponders the idea of telling Wonwoo everything. It’s dangerous territory, but Mingyu can feel himself approaching the rocky edge of a waterfall, on the brink of spilling over, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready for that drop just yet. 

—❀—

While Mingyu drives through Jackson’s neighborhood, he can’t help but wonder why in the world someone like him was working at a public pool. It takes him a moment to realize that each of the buildings he drives by are individual houses and not entire apartments. When he parks and looks at Wonwoo, he notices their faces do not have matching expressions.

“Why aren’t you surprised too?” he asks as he gets out of the car. Wonwoo snorts, waiting for Mingyu to reach him before they make their way to the privacy gates. 

“I’ve been going to Jackson’s parties for years now, I guess it’s lost its shock value.” Wonwoo answers with a shrug. Mingyu gives him a look and then immediately starts gawking at the size of Jackson’s house when they walk through the gates. 

“Does he live alone or with his family?” Mingyu wonders out loud, “It’s so..geometric. This is like a house that famous people would live in.” 

His question goes unanswered, but Mingyu forgets to ask again the moment he hears music coming from speakers somewhere in the backyard. When they knock on the door, they’re greeted by a woman neither recognize and are immediately bombarded with even louder music and heavy bass. 

Once again, Mingyu can’t help but look around in awe. It was a very open house, and from their viewpoint at the front door they could just about see into every room on the first floor and through to the backyard. Every space seems to be filled with people, and the longer Mingyu looked around, the more he could pick out various people from work. It was so strange seeing so many of them out of their work clothes. 

“There you are!” A voice says, it’s Minghao, he figures out the moment his bony fingers grab and pull at his wrists, “C’mon, we’re gonna play beer pong and we need you.” 

“How did you find me so fast?” Mingyu complains, but lets himself be dragged to the backyard regardless. 

“There’s no hiding places here and you’re a giant, please,” Minghao responds, and at the same time Mingyu realizes that Wonwoo isn’t following him. He glances back, opening his mouth to say something, but Wonwoo waves at him before one of his friends capture his attention elsewhere. Mingyu feels a little bummed out at being separated from him this early on in the night, but since he was Wonwoo’s ride home, he figures they’ll meet up again sooner or later, so he lets himself get pulled into the orbit of his friends. 

They end up playing in pairs, Mingyu teamed up with an already tipsy Jaehyun, against BamBam and Minghao, with Sicheng keeping score. They end up working very well together, because Jaehyun agrees to drink for Mingyu when he has to drink, and has enough of a competitive streak to try hard even if his words are growing increasingly more slurred with every sip. 

They end up winning two rounds, but Mingyu makes the decision of letting two people take their place before Jaehyun insists on a third round, and directs him to the kitchen to grab an old fashioned cup of water. Jaehyun was probably their most loyal guest, who visited the pool, at  _ minimum _ , three times a week to swim (and gawk at Seokmin), so Mingyu felt obligated to make sure he didn’t get too trashed. 

“It’s not fair,” Jaehyun pouts, and initially Mingyu thinks he’s talking about him having to drink a glass of water instead of another beer, but when he follows his line of sight, he sees  _ who  _ he’s talking about, “Why didn’t he want to play with us? I wanted to be his partner! No offense.” 

Mingyu shrugs, contemplating if he’d be okay if he slowly nursed one can of beer for the entire night. 

“I guess Seokmin just didn’t feel like playing,” Mingyu says and Jaehyun leans against him a little, sighing loudly. 

“But that’s not the point. Couldn’t he tell that  _ I  _ wanted him to play? Because  _ I  _ like him?”

Mingyu thinks that anyone with eyes could tell Jaehyun wants to do way more than just play with Seokmin, or rather, play with him in more than just beer pong, but the man himself was rather oblivious to context. Jaehyun had been thirsting for Seokmin for the entire summer, and he didn’t have the slightest clue about it. Mingyu didn’t voice this out loud, though. 

Instead, “I think you should straight up just tell him that you’re into him, Jae.” 

Jaehyun gives Mingyu a look as if he’s said the most scandalous thing he’s heard all night. 

“I should  _ tell him?”  _ he asks, speaking the words like they’re in another language, or a piece of vocabulary he was just learning. 

“Yes, Jaehyun,” Mingyu says flatly, deciding that yeah, he needs a beer and grabs one, “The only way he’s going to know that you like him is if you straight up tell him.” 

Mingyu feels proud of his words, like he’s given the world’s best advice, but when he looks at Jaehyun, he’s startled by how sober Jaehyun suddenly looks. 

“Well if you’re going to say that,” he says, pausing to sip his water, “Then maybe you should listen to your own advice.” 

Mingyu feels his face heat up, and hopes his ears aren’t going as red as Jaehyun’s currently were. 

“I—what do you mean?” he asks innocently and Jaehyun gives him a pointed look. 

“Please, Ming’. As your friend, it’s so obvious for me to tell who you’re into.” 

Mingyu doesn’t even bother denying it. He opens his can and taking the smallest sip, then letting out his loudest sigh. 

“But also, as your friend, I can say that I’ve seen the way Wonwoo looks at you, too.” Jaehyun comments, nudging Mingyu with his elbow, “If I tell Seokmin, you have to tell Wonwoo.” 

Mingyu mulls over Jaehyun’s challenge, eyes wandering around until he spots Wonwoo. He’s sitting around with a group of people who seem to be playing a game that Mingyu isn’t close enough to hear. There’s a ghost of a smile on his face as he sits next to one of his friends Mingyu can’t remember the name of. Tonight, Wonwoo opted for leaving the curls in his hair, only taming away some of the frizz with hair product. It suits him best Mingyu thinks, the curl of his bangs brushing against the top of his wireframe glasses. Mingyu had successfully managed to convince him to not put on his contacts before they left, and now he watched pathetically as Wonwoo pushed them back into place while speaking to the aforementioned friend. The smallest things always set Mingyu’s heart off, and it’s that train of thought that leads him to consider Jaehyun’s suggestion. 

It’s been a long time coming, really. And maybe with a little liquid courage, he could finally pour the feelings out of his heart and head and hope Wonwoo won’t watch them wash away like they never mattered at all. If there was a chance that maybe Wonwoo too shared similar sentiments, then Mingyu should take that sliver of hope and run with it. 

Mingyu takes another sip, this time a little more than before, and turns to Jaehyun.

“Okay, let’s do it.” 

❀—❀—❀

_ June _

Wonwoo is tired, fresh out of a long flight stuck in economy class after an otherwise very relaxing vacation with his family. He’d love to nothing but collapse into his bed and sleep, but he still has to pick up his house key from Jeonghan, or else when he gets off work tomorrow he’ll be stuck outside and Yachi will probably throw a fit for being locked inside for so long. On the plus side, he was meeting Jeonghan at a restaurant, and since his parents were also tired, they ordered food for him to pick up as well. At the very least, he could knock out two birds with one stone and indulges in a cab to the location Jeonghan sends him. 

When he arrives, he picks up and pays for the food with the cash his mother gave him, then finds Jeonghan at one of the larger tables. Jeonghan and the other lifeguards he recognizes greet him. There’s a few that he doesn’t recognize, and there’s one that he stares at for a little longer than necessary. He’s obviously plastered, but there’s an aura about him that Wonwoo can’t quite place. The man seems to pay no mind to Wonwoo, though, so he just bows politely to those that do greet him before grabbing the key from Jeonghan. 

“Thanks again, hyung,” he tells him honestly after pulling his mask down so he could speak clearly, “I know it was probably a hassle being so far away from your side of the city and taking Yachi on multiple walks day, so I really appreciate it.” 

“Hey now!” Jeonghan says, a little loudly with a slight slur around each syllable that’s more cute than anything, “You said it yourself, I’m your hyung. These are the things I do for my dongsaeng and his family because I’m just that nice!” 

Wonwoo’s parents paid him graciously, but he knows better than to remind a drunk Jeonghan of this when he’s just fishing around for compliments. 

“Of course you are,” Wonwoo replies with an eager nod, and before he can say more, a loud, deep voice, almost a match for his own, startles him from the other end of the table. 

“Oh, did we order more food!? Good, I’m starving!” 

Wonwoo looks over at him and he realizes it’s the person his eyes lingered on. Under his eager gaze, Wonwoo can’t help but feel a little flustered at his mistake. 

“Bring the food to me, Kim Mingyu!” he, Wonwoo surmises,  _ Kim Mingyu, _ all but shouts at Wonwoo. 

Suddenly feeling very embarrassed, Wonwoo opens his mouth, but doesn’t know how to word what he wants to say in order to politely tell him he’s not a server. Thankfully, Jeonghan comes to his rescue. 

“Mingyu-yah! You’re being rude, and he isn’t even a server, stupid!” Jeonghan yells back, tugging at Wonwoo’s hoodie, “Can’t you tell by his clothes he’s just a tired customer, and you’re bothering him?” 

Mingyu’s eyes go comically wide and he stumbles out several apologies that Wonwoo can’t help but be endeared by. 

“Sorry about that,” Jeonghan says to Wonwoo, voice back to a normal volume, “That kid clearly can’t hold his liquor and he’s had a little too much tonight. I think I should call him a cab—actually, yeah, I’m gonna call him a cab. Hey Mingyu! What’s your address?” 

Unsurprisingly, Mingyu shouts his address for the world to hear. Surprisingly, Wonwoo recognizes the address. 

“Hyung,” Wonwoo taps Jeonghan’s shoulder with his sweater paw, “That’s near where I live. I can make sure he gets home safe, if you’d like.” 

Jeonghan very obviously pretends to contemplate this before nodding, “Oh! That’s a good idea. That way me and the other  _ adults  _ can finish up here and continue drinking elsewhere.” 

Wonwoo didn’t understand why he kept insinuating that Mingyu was a child when he hardly looked any younger than the rest of them. That was, until he witnesses Jeonghan, Wonho, and Jackson all trying to convince him that it was time for him to go home. 

It takes several minutes of coaxing and one final demand from Hyojin before Mingyu finally agrees. Fortunately, Wonwoo’s only task for now is to call the cab until they realize Mingyu drove here. Even though Wonwoo doesn’t have a car, his parents do and thankfully taught him how to drive. Once they get Mingyu to give up his keys, they hand them over to Wonwoo and Jackson helps Mingyu into the passenger seat. Wonwoo thanks him and waves goodbye before leaning over and making sure Mingyu is properly buckled. 

It’s only then that Mingyu notices Wonwoo in the driver’s seat. 

“You’re the not-waiter!” he slurs, pointing at Wonwoo, only Wonwoo is close enough that all he ends up doing is poking his cheek. For some reason, it causes Wonwoo to blush. 

“Yeah, I’m the not-waiter,” he replies, quickly moving out of Mingyu’s personal space and buckling his own seatbelt. 

“Does the not-waiter have a name?” Mingyu asks, a look on his face showing how much he enjoys calling Wonwoo _the_ _not-waiter. _

“He does,” Wonwoo says, unable to keep the smile from forming on his face while he starts the car and starts driving, “His name is Jeon Wonwoo.” 

“Jeon Wonwoo. Wonwoo-ssi? Wonwoo-hyung?” 

Wonwoo laughs softly, “Hyung is fine.” 

While he wasn’t sure of Mingyu’s age, he definitely felt that Mingyu was the younger soul, so for now, he let it be. 

“Wonwoo-hyung!” Mingyu declares proudly with a loud grin, and after that, he really doesn’t shut up. Wonwoo learns simple things about Mingyu: he’s a liberal arts major with a focus on early childhood education, he loves the beach, he grew up in the Gyeonggi-do province, which is why his parents gave him a car as a going away present (Except, whenever he visits family, they fly him home instead of making him drive, but Mingyu appreciates the gift nonetheless. Only child rights, Wonwoo thinks). 

He learns more complex things too, that he thinks Mingyu would be embarrassed of revealing come the next day. 

“One of my housemates has a girlfriend, and whenever I see them together, I can tell they’re so in love and I’m jealous.” 

Wonwoo raises his eyebrows, wondering if he had a crush on the girlfriend, “Jealous?” 

“Yes!” Mingyu nods enthusiastically, then sighs, “I want to be in love, too! I want someone to care about me like she cares about him.” 

“Aw, I’m sure you’ll get a girlfriend very soon. You’re a lifeguard after all, who can resist that?” 

From the corner of his eye, he can see Mingyu reacting differently to each statement and can’t help but laugh a little. 

“That’s a good point! Only I don’t want a girlfriend, I want a boyfriend.” 

Wonwoo tries not to visibly react, to not show too much interest in that revelation. 

“Oh?” 

It must comes off a little too aloof, because then Mingyu’s demeanor changes. 

“Ah—Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, hyung.” 

Wonwoo wants to do nothing more than wrap a large blanket around Mingyu and shield him from all the hurt in the world. The fact that he thinks should be apologizing, even through slurred pronunciation, makes Wonwoo’s heart ache. 

“No—,” he starts, then says, “It’s okay, Mingyu. I’ve had a boyfriend before. I get it.” 

“Really?” Mingyu asks, Wonwoo nods. In his peripheral he can see Mingyu shifting in his seat, angling himself to Wonwoo, “Did you love him?” 

Wonwoo is quiet while he thinks about it, trying to remember how he felt during that part of his life. It was something that had ended over a year ago and now felt like too distant of a memory. He shakes his head. 

“I don’t think I’ve been in love before,” he finally responds. 

“Would you ever want another boyfriend?” Mingyu then asks, “Or girlfriend?” 

The afterthought question makes Wonwoo chuckle. 

“Yeah, of course I would want another boyfriend, if anyone was ever interested in me again.” 

He didn’t intend it to sound like he was depreciating himself, but when he stops at a red light and glances at Mingyu, he’s startled to find a solemn look on his face. 

“Hyung,” Mingyu says, “I know that you’ll fall in love, and someone will love you back. You’re really handsome! And I know I’m very drunk but I like talking to you. I know that you’re a catch.” 

Wonwoo feels his face heat up, unsure of what to say to that and is glad the light turns green so he can go back to looking at the road. He wasn’t exactly the most attractive person right now, with a cap hiding his greasy hair and eyes sunken in from 20 hours on a plane, so clearly Mingyu’s drunk goggles were in full effect. 

“Ah—thanks, Mingyu. That’s very nice of you to say.” 

“It’s the truth! If I was sober, I would probably ask you out.” 

Butterflies seem to stir in Wonwoo’s stomach when he hears that. 

“Is that so?” he asks, though feeling silly for even humoring the statement. 

“Of course!” Mingyu replies quickly, “Maybe. If I didn’t get scared. But I probably won’t even remember saying this come tomorrow.” 

“Really? You seem pretty self aware, though,” Wonwoo comments. His words are still very slurred, but Wonwoo doesn’t mention that. It’s a confession that leaves Wonwoo feeling a little let down and he finds himself frowning slightly, mostly at himself. 

“No, this happens every time I drink too much,” Mingyu sighs dramatically. And from there, the subject changes into something else. Mingyu ends up going on a long rant about how much he misses his dog, and when Wonwoo mentions Yachi, Mingyu makes him promise to let him meet her one day. 

Finally, they finally reach Mingyu’s house and Wonwoo parks where Mingyu tells him to. He helps Mingyu get out and guides him to his front door, making sure he doesn’t stumble around too much. Using Mingyu’s house key, he helps him inside and is surprised to see that none of his roommates are home. With some guidance from Mingyu, he’s able to get him to his bedroom and onto his bed. 

He finds it a bit satisfying, tucking Mingyu into the bed like the big baby he is. After doing that, he pads to the kitchen to grab a glass of water to place on Mingyu’s night stand for the morning, and then places his mini trash can next to the bed, just in case. While doing all of this, he thinks Mingyu had fallen asleep, but just when he’s about to leave, he hears Mingyu call out his name softly. 

“Wonwoo-hyung?” 

“Yes, Mingyu?” 

“Thank you for not being a murderer.” 

“I’m sorry?” 

“I just mean, you’re a stranger, but you helped me get home.” 

For some reason, that makes Wonwoo blush. 

“Oh, I mean. We’re coworkers technically, so.” 

“We are?” 

Wonwoo nods. 

“Oh. So I’ll see you on Friday then?” 

Another nod. Mingyu smiles. His eyes are closed, but his mouth is wide, and his sharp canines pierce right through Wonwoo’s heart. 

“Great! Goodnight, hyung.” 

“Night, Mingyu.” 

After, when he discovers that Mingyu really did forget most of that night, Wonwoo’s heart breaks a little—but slowly mends back together, because in the end, they become friends. And through the course of the summer, Mingyu slowly tells Wonwoo the things he forgot he word-vomited that night. It’s not everything. Some words remain left unspoken, lost to the void of lost toys, but it’s okay because ultimately, he values his friendship with Mingyu. Somehow, he found beauty and solitude in getting to slowly learn and relearn about all of the puzzle pieces that make up Kim Mingyu, while he in turn shares his own.

❀—❀—❀

_ August.  _

After getting almost halfway through the beer can, Mingyu makes his way over to where Wonwoo is. As he approaches, Wonwoo’s eyes quickly seem to find Mingyu’s like they were magnets and he doesn’t look away. Mingyu can only stop and stare at him right back. 

Jackson says something after a moment, and some people laugh, but Mingyu doesn’t catch it and doesn’t ask him to repeat, much too focused on Wonwoo, who still hasn’t broken eye contact. 

“Wonwoo, can I talk to you?” Mingyu blurts, “Alone?” 

When Mingyu speaks, it seems to pull him out whatever trance he was in and he nods, getting to his feet. 

“I quit,” Wonwoo tells the people around him, then walks over to Mingyu, tone light, “What’s up?”

Mingyu isn’t sure if it’s the lighting or if Wonwoo’s downed a couple of drinks himself, but there’s a faint hint of blush on his cheeks. 

“Uh, can we go somewhere quiet?” he asks.

“Sure,” Wonwoo answers with a nod, then glances around along with Mingyu, both of them trying to think where they could even go in here for some privacy. 

Mingyu sees a set of stairs and gets an idea. He starts walking toward them and only looks back once to make sure Wonwoo is following, before going up. Once upstairs, he glances around again. To the left, there’s an open space filled with people that oversees the living room below, but to the right, there’s a hallway. He walks in that direction, then takes another right where it leads to a set of bedroom doors. Mingyu knocks and enters a room on the left when there is no answer. He’s relieved to find that it really is empty and flips a switch that turns on a lamp sitting on a nightstand. Thankfully, the room looks to be an unused guest room, rather than, God forbid, Jackson’s room. 

He sets his half empty beer can down on a desk and then sits down on the bed, staring at the floor. 

“Mingyu?” 

Mingyu opens his mouth to speak, but then suddenly it feels far too stuffy in the room so he stands and grabs Wonwoo’s hand. Wonwoo stares at their hands, then looks at Mingyu curiously. Before Mingyu tries speaking again, he looks around the room and notices that a nook in the room with a door just out of sight. 

“One second, hyung,” Mingyu says, then leads them to it and outside. He quickly realizes that it leads to a balcony at the back of the house. Below, he sees the fairy lights that outline the backyard. There’s an awning that hides the people lost in conversations and games they hear or see, the music reaching all the way up to their ears. Up ahead, Mingyu sees the black vastness of the ocean as it kisses the seashore. The winds are always harsher at night and it’s a breath of fresh air that calms Mingyu down. Wonwoo squeezes his hand and it reminds Mingyu that their fingers are still intertwined. His heart skips a bit, when he realizes that Wonwoo hadn’t tried to pull his hand away at all. Mingyu stares at their hands for a couple of seconds before plucking up enough courage to look at Wonwoo. 

When their eyes meet, Mingyu sees the way Wonwoo eyes seem to twinkle when he looks at him. There is something in them that Mingyu finds reassurance in—a kindness in them, and Mingyu knows that even though things might not pan out the way he wants, Wonwoo would never intentionally hurt him. Even if he didn’t want the gift of Mingyu’s heart, he would still handle it with care before giving it back. Mingyu finds himself as a river, at the brink of the foreboding waterfall. This time, he holds no resistance and lets the wind of his heart carry him over the edge. 

Finally, Mingyu squeezes Wonwoo’s hand back, and begins to speak. 

“Wonwoo, there’s something I have to tell you,” he starts, and though he has the valor to say it, he can still feel his face heating up with the blood in his veins, “I really like you. Like, really, really like you. As a friend, but also more than a friend. Way more than a friend, actually? I want to keep holding your hand and more. And by more I mean kissing, and um, other things, maybe? I’m just completely crazy about every aspect of you, and I honestly can’t even say when I started feeling this way. I think I liked you before I even realized it myself and by then I was so far gone that I didn’t know what to do. Which is so stupid when you think about it, because obviously I should have told you sooner, like when I first realized it, but I was too much of a coward. Hell, I even had to drink almost a whole can of beer just to give me enough confidence to—” 

Wonwoo’s lips capture Mingyu’s own in a kiss and Mingyu momentarily forgets every single thought in his head. 

His lips are a little wet, because Wonwoo has a habit of biting them when he’s nervous, and at  _ that  _ realization Mingyu retaliates with another kiss, his eyes closing. He lets go of Wonwoo’s hand, but only so he can grab his waist to pull him closer. Wonwoo presses Mingyu against the balcony, his arms moving around his neck. After a moment, Wonwoo stops kissing him, and Mingyu wants be upset, but ultimately, he’s fine with it because he can feel Wonwoo smiling widely against his lips. Mingyu nuzzles his nose a little, bumping against Wonwoo’s glasses. 

Wonwoo laughs quietly, “Do you know how long I’ve waited for you to say that? Well, not your exact...confession, but still.” 

Mingyu pouts. 

“What do you mean? You could have said something too, you know.” 

“I was giving you signals.” 

“Signals! What signals!” Mingyu says, but before he can say more, Wonwoo shuts him up with another kiss, this time grabbing his face and rubbing his cheeks with both thumbs. 

“You’re so cute, Mingyu.” 

“Cute? If I’m gonna be your boyfriend, shouldn’t I be sexy?” 

Wonwoo grins, and pinches Mingyu’s cheek before moving his arms back around his neck, “Oh, so you’re my boyfriend now?” 

Mingyu whines, “Wonwoo, when I say I’ve liked you for a long time, I mean practically all summer. Can’t we just skip the timid dating and go straight to being boyfriends?” 

Wonwoo doesn’t say anything for a while, but there’s a soft smile on his face, so Mingyu isn’t worried. He just stares back, giving his hips a gentle squeeze that causes something to flicker in his eyes. 

“Of course, Mingyu. You’re my boyfriend,” Wonwoo says, and then presses his lips to Mingyu’s once more, “And of course you’re sexy. You’re a lifeguard, who could resist that?” 

Mingyu scrunches his nose and mumbles against Wonwoo’s lips, “Why do I get a sense of deja vu when you say that?” 

Wonwoo only smiles in reply, then starts kissing Mingyu again, this time with much heavier intentions. One of his hands snakes its way into Mingyu’s hair as their kisses grow in intensity. Mingyu feels the sudden shift, becoming hyper aware of every part of him that was touching Wonwoo. It sets fire to his veins, urging him to bring Wonwoo flush against him. Wonwoo pulls at Mingyu’s hair, and Mingyu lets out a low, embarrassing moan, not aware that was something he liked. He’s not able to spare it much thought, though, because Wonwoo uses this moment to lick into Mingyu’s mouth. 

Mingyu feels a familiar heat singeing his skin and it makes him want to feel  _ Wonwoo’s  _ skin, so he slides a warm hand underneath Wonwoo’s shirt, causing him to gasp. Suddenly, he breaks the kiss. 

Voice breathless, Wonwoo starts to speak, “Can we go back into the—” 

“Yes.” 

Without having to say anything else, Wonwoo grabs Mingyu’s hand and tugs him back into the bedroom. Mingyu barely has any time to shut the door before Wonwoo is pulling him toward the bed. He catches up quickly, ready to push Wonwoo on it, but then Wonwoo smoothly switches their positions and shoves Mingyu down first. 

Mingyu manages to keep hold of his hand, so Wonwoo falls with him. When his back hits the bed, he has Wonwoo hovering over him. Without any restraint, Wonwoo begins to kiss him again, lacing their fingers together and pressing their joined hands near Mingyu’s against the bed. 

“I can’t believe you never noticed me staring at you sometimes, no, practically  _ all  _ the time at work? Do you know how hot you look in those stupid swim trucks and rash guard?” 

Mingyu blushes. 

“You know, I think the same about you in your polo shirt and khaki shorts.” 

Wonwoo roll his eyes and starts to press kisses along Mingyu’s jaw. “Be quiet, those shirts are the worst. I look terrible in red.” 

“You really don’t, though,” Mingyu tells him sincerely because of course he thinks Wonwoo looks good in anything. Wonwoo pauses to look at him, then ends up straddling Mingyu’s waist so he can sit up, and grabs Mingyu’s other hand so it’s in the same position against the bed as the other on the opposite side of his head. Mingyu stares at him, his thoughts momentarily cleared of everything except for the man hovering over him. Wonwoo's glasses have slid down the bridge of his nose and Mingyu's heart threatens to leap out of his chest. 

“You really mean that?” Wonwoo asks, starting to lean down, lips nearing Mingyu’s again. Mingyu nods, too mesmerized by the curve of Wonwoo’s lips to respond verbally. He watches as they curve into a smile, mere millimeters away from his own. 

Suddenly, the door opens, startling the both of them. Mingyu and Wonwoo’s heads turn at the same time, their cheeks near pressed against each other as they look at who’s interrupting them. Wonwoo pushes his glasses up so he can get a better look at their intruders. 

It’s Jaehyun, Mingyu realizes, and after a moment he realizes he isn’t alone. Seokmin’s lips are attached to Jaehyun’s neck, and it’s unfortunate that the noise of  _ that  _ reaches Mingyu’s and Wonwoo’s ears over the sound of their heavy breaths. Jaehyun is the first to notice that the room is occupied and annoyance is very apparent his face. Seokmin, to Mingyu's horror, notices shortly after but continues working on Jaehyun’s neck before he whispers something against his ear. His face goes slack for a moment, before it melts into a polite smile. 

“Oops,” is all Jaehyun says before grabbing the doorknob and slamming it shut again. 

The room is silent for only a fraction of a second before both of them burst into laughter, Wonwoo hiding his face in the crook of Mingyu’s neck. 

“What the hell was that?” Wonwoo says, peeking up at Mingyu with a grin. 

“Success on Jaehyun’s part, from the looks of it,” Mingyu replies before pressing a light kiss to Wonwoo’s forehead, “Hey, do you want to get out of here? We can grab food and then go to my place, or yours?” 

Wonwoo nods, letting go of Mingyu’s hands so he can sit up. Only before he can, Mingyu grabs his face and pulls him back down again, causing Wonwoo to brace his hands on either side of Mingyu’s head. Mingyu takes a moment to stare at Wonwoo’s face, appreciating every beautiful slope and curve that makes up his face, basking in the fact that he now can stare at him as much as he likes without it getting weird. 

Weirded out, Wonwoo frowns a little. “Mingyu, what are you doing?” 

Mingyu responds by squishing his face together to make his lips pout. He can’t help but giggle at the expression he forces upon Wonwoo. 

“I just can’t believe you actually like me,” Mingyu teases, “That’s so sad for you.” 

Wonwoo rolls his eyes, placing one hand over Mingyu’s. He then squints at him, playful contempt in his gaze. 

“I know. I don’t know how you managed to scam me into falling for you.” 

To that, Mingyu starts to pout, but Wonwoo takes the time to kiss it away. Before things can get too heated again, Wonwoo makes the very adult decision of rolling off of Mingyu before they get lost in their own lust or another couple walks in on them. He stands and helps Mingyu up, taking his hand and intertwining their fingers. They hold onto each other as they make their way through the house and outside, ignoring the bustling noise of a party still in full swing. It's even more crowded now, and more rambunctious as people work their way through cups of alcohol and get lost in the company of new friends and lovers. They stick closer together because of this, but it's also what enables them to sneak around mostly unnoticed. On their way out, Jackson does notice them, though, and looks like he’s about to stop them from leaving so early. However, once he notices their joined hands, he just offers them a look and waves them off. 

Once they get to the car, Mingyu glances around quickly before giving Wonwoo a chaste kiss on the lips, then once more on his knuckles. Reluctantly, Mingyu pulls away from him, finally having to let go so that he can drive them home. But—it’s okay, because now they have a firm grasp on each other’s hearts and neither have any intentions of letting go. Mingyu glances at Wonwoo before starting the car. He’s staring at his lap, clearly lost in his own thoughts, but his smile shows him that it is more than enough.

**Author's Note:**

> [kicks dirt] i just rlly wanted to write a soft meanie :c 
> 
> as always, many thanks to sarah for taking this journey w me and also miss stela for being a fresh set of eyes to correct my mistakes. <3 
> 
> p.s. i do have a fun seokjae fic planned from this universe as well. idk when i'll get around to writing it, but look forward to meanie easter eggs there, hehe.  
find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/suhweaterpawz) and [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/b0tticelli)~


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